Thick Smoke

Hogsmeade

The break passed, and Remus Lupin was more annoyed and worried than ever. The reason was his goddaughter, whose father had escaped Azkaban and was hiding from Dementors. But that little impediment didn't seem to be an issue for father-daughter bonding time. Eliza kept sneaking out at night, Merlin knew where, only to come back in time for breakfast. Afterwards, she would lock herself in her room and practice spells all day long.

When it was time to go back to Hogwarts, she grabbed Furvus and waited for her godfather to apparate with her instead of taking the train. She wasn't sure why Remus had to be there so early, but she was happy she wasn't going to listen to people ramble on and on about Sirius anymore.

"Are you going to tell me where you went every night, or should I use Veritaserum?"

He wasn't actually going to do that, but he wanted her to trust him enough to tell him the truth on her own.

Eliza's green eyes scanned Remus' face, noticing every trace of stress he had gained over the years.

"You should look for a girlfriend," she mumbled, making his eyes widen at her statement.

"W-what?!" he exclaimed, startling the first-years who were just arriving. He coughed awkwardly and gently pushed her aside. "How did you get that idea?"

Eliza smiled innocently and blinked just like Furvus whenever he messed up the kitchen or played with the trash. If Remus hadn't been the one to raise her all these years, he would have sworn he was being fooled by her manipulations.

"Who have you met for the past week, Eliza?" he asked again, even though he already knew.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she chuckled, already giving Remus the answer with that mischievous glint in her eyes.

*****

Outside, snow was still falling when the next Hogsmeade weekend came around. Unlike the last time, Eliza asked Remus to sign her permission slip. Seamus and Dean were more than happy when she walked down the stairs that morning, dressed warmly for the cold. Since they knew better where to visit and what to buy, they led her to all their favorite places.

Truthfully, Eliza had never been to Hogsmeade before. She had only heard about it from Remus' stories about Hogwarts and from her dorm mates. That was probably the sole reason why she let herself be dragged inside Honeydukes, even if she wasn't particularly fond of sweets.

"You should try that! Or this! Merlin, this is heaven!" Seamus exclaimed, a boyish grin spreading across his face.

Eliza swore she saw his eyes sparkle at the sight of the chocolate cauldrons and gently pushed him in that direction.

While wandering around the sweet shop, she noticed the clerk watching her very closely. At first, she thought he was looking at someone behind her, so she glanced over her shoulder, but he was definitely staring at her.

Feeling uncomfortable, she paid for a bag of Liquorice Wands and left the shop, sneaking out just as Neville walked in. The cold hit her face immediately, making her pull her red muffler closer around it. She shuddered and continued walking alone, looking for presents.

In her whole life, she had never found herself in the position of spending money on someone other than Remus, so it was surprisingly complicated. Eliza had no idea what her friends liked because she had never really paid attention. Besides, Christmas had already passed and she hadn't given anyone anything.

She had received quite a few Christmas cards from the Gryffindors and the others, but honestly, her best gift had been spending time with Sirius.

She wandered through the village in circles and eventually ended up in Tomes and Scrolls. The bell rang with that familiar high-pitched sound, announcing that a new customer had crossed the threshold. She quietly slipped inside, almost as if she were doing something wrong instead of shopping for presents. The shelves were old and dusty, their wood darkened with age, and the scent of parchment and ink lingered pleasantly in the air. Somehow, it reminded her of home, of spending countless hours searching for an interesting book to read.